Fastener for slate roofs.



I No. 718,165. PATENTED JAN. 13, 1903.

P. G. SNEDEN; FASTENER FOR SLATE ROOPS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 24, 1902.

no 10mm;

an: norms I'm-ms ca. mumumo, wnsumurou. o c

- NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FREELAND O. SNEDEN, OF GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- HALF TO CHRISTOPHER M. KELLY, OF GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN.

FASTENER FOR SLATE ROOFS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 718,165, dated January 13, 1903.

Application filed March 24, 1902. Serial No. 99,652. (No model.)

To a. whom it ntay concern.-

Be it known that I, FREELAND C. SNEDEN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Grand Rapids, in the county of Kent and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fasteners for Slate Roofs; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as'will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in fasteners for slate roofs; and its object is to reduce the risk of breakage of the slates, to provide means whereby the roof may be readily repaired, to provide a cheap and practical device, and to provide the same with certain useful and new features hereinafter more fully described, andparticularly pointed out in the claims.

My invention consists, essentially, in a device made of wire and adapted to yieldingly hold the slates in place and from which the respective slates may be readily detached, as will more fully appear by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a plan of a portion of a slate roof secured by my improved device; Fig. 2, an edge view of the same; Fig. 3, a detail of the fastener used in the body of the roof; Fig. 4, a fastener for the half slate on the edge of the roof; Fig. 5, a bottom fastener usedat the caves of the roof; Fig. 6, an edge-fastener for the roof, and Fig. 7 a section on the line 7 7 of Fig. 1.

Like letters refer to like parts in all the figures.

A represents the roofing-boards upon which the slates are laid, B full-size slates, and B half-size slates on themargin of the roof.

Throughout the body of the roof each slate is secured by a fastener, (represented in Fig. 3,) consisting of outwardly curved and diverging arms 0 C, of flattened wire, having hooks D D at the lower ends to engage the lower ends of the respective slate under which it is placed. These arms join at E and are twisted together and bent downward a sufficient distance to extend to the roofing-board and thenceextend upward along the surface of the roofing-board in outwardly diverged and curved portions F F, which are joined at their upper ends and turned downward, being twisted together, as at G, to form a screwthreaded portion to be driven into the roofingboard to securely hold the fastener in place. These fasteners (shown in" Fig. 3) are arranged relative to four slates as follows: The upper slate "directly above the fastener rests on the arms 0 G and is engaged at the lower end with the hooks D. The next two slates below this are arranged on each side of the portion E and with their edges close to the same and extend beneath the arms 0 O and are each held at their lower ends by simiextends to a sufficient distance below the portion E of the fastener to provide clearance enough to slide it upward a sufficient distance to be released from the hooks D D of its respective fastener. These slates are thus securely held from moving either laterally or downward and at the same time are yieldingly held in place by spring-pressure, so that there is no risk of breakage from vertical strain of frost or otherwise, and, furthermore, the arms 0 0 separate the slates a slight distance from each other sufiicient to prevent water from being drawn upward between the slates by capillary attraction, thus making leakage or freezing between the slates. This separation of the slates also alfords ventilation throughout'the roof, which is desirable. It will also be observed that any one slate can be readily detached and another inserted in its place by simply sliding the slate upward sufficient to release the slate from the hooks D D of its-fastener. It can then be sprung outward, by reason of the yielding character of the fastener, enough to slide down and out above the hooks D D. Another slate can now be inserted in its place by sliding the same over the hooks untilit passes the same and then lowered to place in the hooks.

Fig. 4 represents what might be termed a half -fastener, substantially the same in character as the one described. It is provided with a single arm 0, having a hook D and .into the same.

a vertical extension F, and is thende extended laterally at F to pass inward along the.

roofing-board and then bent downward at G to be inserted in the same. The portion F yields by torsion and forms a spring, the same as the part- F heretofore described. This fastener is used to support the half-slates B at the margin of the roof. Fig. 6 shows a margin-hook to further secure the slates at the margin of the roof, consisting of a straight flattened portion 0 to extend inward along the surface of the roof-board and having an upwardly-turned hook D at its outer end to engage the edge of the slates and a downwardly-turned inner end G' to be inserted in the roofing-boards. The edges of the slates at the eaves are supported by a device shown in Fig. 5, which is similar to that shown in Fig. 3, except the parts E and F are omitted, the portions G being inserted in the roofingboards and the arm 0" extending beneath the slates and along the surface of the roofing-board and the hooks D at the lower end engaged with the lower ends of the slates to keep the same from sliding downward. In attaching these devices as shown in Figs. 3 and 4 to the roofing-boards the ends having the hooks D are placed in contact with the roofing-boards, and the portions G to be inserted in the roof are turned at an acute angle with the arm 0, whereby they are placed vertically to the roof-board and then forced There is thus a slight tension upon the device whereby the arms 0 are yieldingly pressed toward the roofing-boards by the flexible character of the portions F or F. I prefer to flatten only the portions of the wire comprising the arms 0 and hooks D, the remainder of the wire being left round.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-- 1. A wire fastener for roofing-slates distinguished by a flattened laterally-curved and flexible portion to extend beneath the slate, a hook at the lower end to engage the lower edge of the slate, and a downwardly-bent upper end to insert in the roof-board.

2. A fastener for roofing-slates, having diverging arms provided with hooks at their lower ends, and joined at their upper ends and having a downward extension atsubstantially right angles to the arms and adapted to be inserted in the roofing-boards, substantially as described.

3. A fastener for roofing-slates, consisting of wires having ends twisted together and adapted to be inserted in the roofing-boards and diverging arms extended substantially at right angles to the twisted portion and provided with hooks at the other ends, substan tially as described.

4. A fastener for roofing-slates, consisting of two wires twisted together at one end, and having diverging outwardly-curved and flattened arms extended at substantially right angles to the twisted ends, and provided with hooks at their other ends, substantially as described.

5. An edge-fastener for roofing-slates consisting of a wire having a hook at one end, a downwardly-extended portion to engage the edges of the slates, an in wardly-turned portion to extend beneath the slates, and a downwardly-turned portion to be inserted in the roof-boards, substantially as described.

6. An edge-fastener for roofing-slates, consisting of an inward-curved and flattened arm having a hook at its lower end, a downward extension at the upper end of the arm to engage the edge of the slate,an inward extension to pass beneath the slates,and a downward extension to be inserted in the roofboards, substantially as described.

7. A fastener for roofing-slates consisting of diverging arms having hooks at their lower ends and joined at their upper ends, a downward extension at the upper end of the arms to pass between the respective side slates, a flexible portion to extend upward along the surface of the roofing-boards and a downwardextended portion to be inserted in the roofing-boards, substantially as described.

8. A fastener for roofing-slates consisting of two wires having hooks at their lower ends, joined and twisted at their upper ends and extended downward to pass between the side slates, and also having outwardly-curved and flexible portions to extend upward along the surface of the roofing-boards, and having their upper ends twisted together and adapted to be inserted in the roofing-boards, substantially as described.

9. A fastener for roofing-boards consisting of diverging and outwardly-curved flattened wirearms having hooks at their lower ends, said wires also twisted together at their upper ends and extended downward to pass between the side slates, and thence extended upward in outwardly-curved portions, having their upper ends joined and twisted together and bent downward at an acute angle, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

FREELAND C. SNEDEN.

Witnesses:

LUTHER V. MOULTON, IDA THIEBOUT.

IIO 

